Six degrees of separation Bella & Jacob
by StrippedToTheSoul
Summary: When Edward Cullen comes by, things change. She feels less like her new self, more like she was before, but when a hospital visit doesn't give her good news, he runs. Jacob can't bear to see his friend, who he hasn't seen in quite a while, be so depressed because of it. He makes her believe in life again, in people, but most of all, in love.
1. The First Is A Broken Heart 1,1

If you would express the sadness Bella Swan felt after Edward Cullen decided to be his jerky, vampire like self and left her, she would easily score ten out of ten, or at least, that was what Jacob Black thought when he saw her entering his porch. It wasn't usual for her to drop by, and if he could believe the stories Charlie – her father – had told him, it was quite unusual for her to do anything, except play this happy little girl walking down the perfect path and being the perfect daughter.

"Bella!" he yelled, smiling widely. He was quite happy to see her, how strange it may have been. They had been friends since kindergarten, before she decided not to come to Forks anymore and they had been fore _he _walked out of her life.

"Jacob," she said, a soft, faked smile on her lips. It was easy to see that her eyes didn't smile along with her lips. Billy – his father – came rolling outside, to see what the fuzz was all about. He seemed to be surprised to see Bella too.

"Hi Bella," he said friendly. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay? With you and Charlie?" Billy seemed to be suspicious too. For Jacob, it was good to know that he wasn't the only one who thought it was weird for her to show up like that.

"Yeah, everything is fine," she said, "I just wanted to see Jake. It's been a while." It had been more than a while. When Edward Cullen dropped by, they had lost contact, and even though he knew something was up with her. She wasn't herself afterwards. As if some ghost had replaced her. Which kind of was the case. She looked pale, her hair a dull brown.

"It's good that you dropped by Bells," Billy said. "He has way too much time on his hands." He rolled back in, closing the door behind him.

"So, if you are here for me, what do you want to do?" asked Jacob, who didn't seem to be sure how to behave around her anymore. Somewhere, deep down, he knew that he just had to act like he normally would, but that would be hard if you knew that the person standing in front of you might as well be a ghost, for all he knew. She seemed to be cautious for something, though he didn't know why. After she had checked for about the millionth time that Billy wasn't listening, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm not sure," she said. "But, I have a question for you. Do you know anything about motors? Do you know how to fix them? Or build them?"

"Embry has a motor," he said, "I help him sometimes." He shrugged. "Why?"

"I bought two old motors, well, bought, they sort of gave them away, but that doesn't really matter, does it? I only need one, so if you want to, you can keep one of them for yourself, but, could you fix them? They're probably not good, but I don't care how much it would cost to repair them. If you don't want to do it, it's fine. I'll just look for another person to help me." The sadness in her eyes changed to hope. Maybe, she could finally see Edward again. Or at least the illusion in her head She could hear his voice, his so familiar voice and feel like he was there again, or at least, he could be a little bit more, real.

"Sure," Jacob said, "just tell me when you drop them off, and I will see what I can do for you."

"Uhn, Jake?" Bella said, smiling faintly. "They're in the back of the truck."

"Oh." He looked at her, curiously.

"Do you think we can get them to the garage without Billy noticing? I don't want him telling Charlie."

"Sure," he said, looking as she pulled the cover from the trunk and took two, old but probably fixable motorcyles from it. "I think I can bring these babies back alive. When do you want to start working on them? Or do you want me to do everything?"

"Today?" she asked, sounding desprate.

"Today it is."


	2. The First Is A Broken Heart 1,2

They sat in Jacob Black's garage for the rest of the day. Bella mainly watched as Jacob dissembled the motorcycles and put the things that needed to be replaced separate. The pile seemed to grow and grow without an end to it.

"The price you are going to have to pay to get these things running isn't going to be low," he said, a little insecure. He had enjoyed spending time with her – it was better than spending the day with Billy, way better – and thought she had liked it too. Or at least, that was what he hoped. She seemed to be in a better mood. "Are you sure you don't want to buy a new one? Or get other, not as damaged ones?"

"I like these," she said. "I don't care about the price. I still have some money saved up for when I go to college."

"Bella," Jake said, "I won't take away your college funds. Forget about it."

"Don't worry about my money," she said. "You work, I pay." Hugging her own body, she looked at the clock that hung in the barn. "I think it's time to go home."

"You could ask Charlie is he wants to come over? I bet Billy doesn't mind him staying for dinner." He cleaned his hands with the cloth he was holding, to get the last bits of motor oil from them, which didn't really go that smooth.

"No," Bella said, shrugging. "The meat is already marinating and I will probably be here a lot anyway. You'll get sick of me before you know it. That was, kind though." Her mouth curled up into the tinyest of smiles. Even though Bella did everything she could, she didn't manage to fool Jacob. He looked through her façade as easy as looking through a window without curtains. The sadness was easily visible on her, the way she had braced her arms around her body upon hearing the love song on the radio, and then asking if it could be turned off, since she wasn't really into cheesy songs. Other people may see through her foolish hiding of her feelings, but he didn't, and right now, he actually wished he didn't see them so easily.

The minute Bella walked through the doors and threw her jacked on the couch, she stepped into the kitchen and started cooking. Charlie would be coming home soon, and he would be hungry after a day of hard labor, not that he really had much to do these days. Yet, cooking helped her. It kept her busy, eased her mind a little bit. It didn't inflict her pain, or at least less pain as breathing and knowing that her heart was somewhere, with somebody who didn't love her. Never had loved her. He had said so himself. _Edward_. She felt surprise as a sharp pain shot through her arm.

"Great!" she hissed to herself. as she wrapped a towel around her punctured thumb. Potatoes were dangerous nowadays, or her wandering mind was trying to get her killed, that was a possibility too. Either way, she didn't really care. The pain had her mind thinking about something else than about him. Not that she liked it, it was _different._ It was still painful, and she tended to avoid the pain. She already lived with enough on a daily basis. When she was with Jacob though, it felt as if there was less of a hole in her heart, it was… closing. Though she wasn't sure of that. She was quite positive that she wouldn't get it closed up completely, but maybe, Jake would be the medicine she longed for so much. He could give her the things back that _he_ had taken with him when he left. Her heart might get back to the place where it was supposed to be. Maybe, one day.

After putting a Band-Aid on her injured hand, she continued cooking. The potatoes were boiling and almost ready, the green beans were ready to go in a skillet and the meat was ready to be baked. Bella tried her best to think about Jacob Black, and the day they had spent together, to keep her mind from wandering off while she set the table and finished dinner, but she failed. She found herself thinking back and forth to what he had said. She processed it over and over again. 'Nothing compared to what could've happened. I promise never to put you through anything like this ever again. This is the last time you'll ever see me.' It didn't make sense.

Charlie came home after an half an hour. The closing of the door warned Bella that she had to put up her happy face again.

"Hi Bells!" he said, watching his tone. He hung away his weapon belt and put his rain jacket on the belonging hooks in the wall. He was cautious and for the  
first time in a long time, Bella heard again the familiar ticking of the bullets hitting the bottom of the drawer. It had been a while since he had taken the bullets from his gun, so she couldn't hurt herself with it. Before, he had only taken them out when she was little, so she wouldn't fire it and kill herself by accident – or shoot a hole in the stairs, but now he did it to protect himself from finding his daughter's body. "It smells good!" He came in the kitchen, looking for his dinner. Bella put the food on the table, so that he could start his meal.

"Hi Char- dad. How was work?" It felt, weird for her, artificial to talk to him, now that she used to not answering him, or only speaking when asked something.

"Same old, same old," he said. "It was okay, but we did play cards most of the day." He seemed to be extra cautious now that there was change in her behaviour. "How was your day? Did you spent some time with Jake?"

"It was good," she said, smiling weakly, "it was… good to see Jake again. The smile felt as artificial as their conversation. She knew for a fact that she was much like her father. Neither of them liked to express their feelings in public, and that's why they both often lied about them, though it was true this time. She had liked seeing him again. "He has grown though. He's… well, you could say that he's been getting growing potions or something like that." '_Or I have shrunk so much that even somebody who is two years younger than me is taller than I am,' _she added in her thoughts.

"Yeah," Charlie smiled. "That boys growing a lot these days." He wasn't used to how she was behaving today, but it was a nice change of events – not that he would say that out loud. Even he knew that saying something like that could bring her back to her old, zombie state of mind and body. The soft pink on her cheeks would disappear again, and the little colour she had on her skin, would turn white again. She almost looked like walking chalk. Even though she might look better now, he knew damn well that it could turn around any minute.

"You could say that," she said, poking her one potato until it fell apart in bits and pieces. "It was a good change." She was silent for the rest of the meal and ended up eating only half what she should have eaten. Charlie saw her become her old self again, as she crawled upstairs the second the television turned on. Even though they were watching the sports channel. He sighed. _Here we go again._


	3. The First is a Broken Heart 1,3

They sat in Jacob Black's garage for the rest of the day. Bella mainly watched as Jacob dissembled the motorcycles and put the things that needed to be replaced separate. The pile seemed to grow and grow without an end to it.

"The price you are going to have to pay to get these things running isn't going to be low," he said, a little insecure. He had enjoyed spending time with her – it was better than spending the day with Billy, way better – and thought she had liked it too. Or at least, that was what he hoped. She seemed to be in a better mood. "Are you sure you don't want to buy a new one? Or get other, not as damaged ones?"

"I like these," she said. "I don't care about the price. I still have some money saved up for when I go to college."

"Bella," Jake said, "I won't take away your college funds. Forget about it."

"Don't worry about my money," she said. "You work, I pay." Hugging her own body, she looked at the clock that hung in the barn. "I think it's time to go home."

"You could ask Charlie is he wants to come over? I bet Billy doesn't mind him staying for dinner." He cleaned his hands with the cloth he was holding, to get the last bits of motor oil from them, which didn't really go that smooth.

"No," Bella said, shrugging. "The meat is already marinating and I will probably be here a lot anyway. You'll get sick of me before you know it. That was, kind though." Her mouth curled up into the tinyest of smiles. Even though Bella did everything she could, she didn't manage to fool Jacob. He looked through her façade as easy as looking through a window without curtains. The sadness was easily visible on her, the way she had braced her arms around her body upon hearing the love song on the radio, and then asking if it could be turned off, since she wasn't really into cheesy songs. Other people may see through her foolish hiding of her feelings, but he didn't, and right now, he actually wished he didn't see them so easily.

The minute Bella walked through the doors and threw her jacked on the couch, she stepped into the kitchen and started cooking. Charlie would be coming home soon, and he would be hungry after a day of hard labor, not that he really had much to do these days. Yet, cooking helped her. It kept her busy, eased her mind a little bit. It didn't inflict her pain, or at least less pain as breathing and knowing that her heart was somewhere, with somebody who didn't love her. Never had loved her. He had said so himself. _Edward_. She felt surprise as a sharp pain shot through her arm.

"Great!" she hissed to herself. as she wrapped a towel around her punctured thumb. Potatoes were dangerous nowadays, or her wandering mind was trying to get her killed, that was a possibility too. Either way, she didn't really care. The pain had her mind thinking about something else than about him. Not that she liked it, it was _different._ It was still painful, and she tended to avoid the pain. She already lived with enough on a daily basis. When she was with Jacob though, it felt as if there was less of a hole in her heart, it was… closing. Though she wasn't sure of that. She was quite positive that she wouldn't get it closed up completely, but maybe, Jake would be the medicine she longed for so much. He could give her the things back that _he_ had taken with him when he left. Her heart might get back to the place where it was supposed to be. Maybe, one day.

After putting a Band-Aid on her injured hand, she continued cooking. The potatoes were boiling and almost ready, the green beans were ready to go in a skillet and the meat was ready to be baked. Bella tried her best to think about Jacob Black, and the day they had spent together, to keep her mind from wandering off while she set the table and finished dinner, but she failed. She found herself thinking back and forth to what he had said. She processed it over and over again. 'Nothing compared to what could've happened. I promise never to put you through anything like this ever again. This is the last time you'll ever see me.' It didn't make sense.

Charlie came home after an half an hour. The closing of the door warned Bella that she had to put up her happy face again.

"Hi Bells!" he said, watching his tone. He hung away his weapon belt and put his rain jacket on the belonging hooks in the wall. He was cautious and for the  
first time in a long time, Bella heard again the familiar ticking of the bullets hitting the bottom of the drawer. It had been a while since he had taken the bullets from his gun, so she couldn't hurt herself with it. Before, he had only taken them out when she was little, so she wouldn't fire it and kill herself by accident – or shoot a hole in the stairs, but now he did it to protect himself from finding his daughter's body. "It smells good!" He came in the kitchen, looking for his dinner. Bella put the food on the table, so that he could start his meal.

"Hi Char- dad. How was work?" It felt, weird for her, artificial to talk to him, now that she used to not answering him, or only speaking when asked something.

"Same old, same old," he said. "It was okay, but we did play cards most of the day." He seemed to be extra cautious now that there was change in her behaviour. "How was your day? Did you spent some time with Jake?"

"It was good," she said, smiling weakly, "it was… good to see Jake again. The smile felt as artificial as their conversation. She knew for a fact that she was much like her father. Neither of them liked to express their feelings in public, and that's why they both often lied about them, though it was true this time. She had liked seeing him again. "He has grown though. He's… well, you could say that he's been getting growing potions or something like that." '_Or I have shrunk so much that even somebody who is two years younger than me is taller than I am,' _she added in her thoughts.

"Yeah," Charlie smiled. "That boys growing a lot these days." He wasn't used to how she was behaving today, but it was a nice change of events – not that he would say that out loud. Even he knew that saying something like that could bring her back to her old, zombie state of mind and body. The soft pink on her cheeks would disappear again, and the little colour she had on her skin, would turn white again. She almost looked like walking chalk. Even though she might look better now, he knew damn well that it could turn around any minute.

"You could say that," she said, poking her one potato until it fell apart in bits and pieces. "It was a good change." She was silent for the rest of the meal and ended up eating only half what she should have eaten. Charlie saw her become her old self again, as she crawled upstairs the second the television turned on. Even though they were watching the sports channel. He sighed. _Here we go again._


End file.
